“All products from the winter range are still fairly expensive. Cauliflowers were relatively expensive, but the old white and red cabbages were all around €2 or higher per head as well. These are exceptionally high prices for cabbage varieties,” says Guy de Meyer of Demargro. “Celeriac, which is actually more of a winter product, is more than €1.50 as well. That’s very expensive, but there’s not much supply while demand is high. The old leek season is now gradually reaching its finish, but the product still available is selling for high prices. Young leek is also expensive, with prices between €1.60 and €1.80 per kilo.”
Young leek, left, French leek, right
Summer vegetables
On the other hand, the summer vegetables are very cheap for the time of year. “Both vine and loose tomatoes are cheap. On Tuesday, prices were around €0.30 and €0.35 per kilogram. There have been times when prices recovered a bit, but this never actually lasts. Late last week, before the weekend of Pentecost, we had a slight recovery in tomato prices, but they dropped back down again on Monday,” Guy says. “France is also affected by overproduction, and the French are fairly chauvinistic, so they prefer domestic product over import products.”
Demargro’s lorries
“Demand for greenhouse vegetables is fairly normal for the time of year, but productions were as good as successful in all countries, resulting in plenty of product available in all countries. Besides, the greenhouse productions are still being expanded, and greenhouses are still being built. Expansions are still possible, but that means sales have to continue increasing. Outdoor vegetables are dependent on the weather, and things can go wrong, but when growing in greenhouses, people are far less dependent on the weather, and the chance of a failed crop is much smaller,” Guy continues.
Strawberry prices recovered
“The sales of strawberries, one of our main products, are going very well. Prices recovered again and sales in countries including France, Spain and Scandinavia are going smoothly. Quality is very good and we haven’t had any quality problems yet this year. We can definitely not complain about the situation,” Guy concludes.
Mixed fruit
For more information:
Guy de Meyer
Demargro
Tombrugstraat 11
8850 Ardooie, Belgium
guy.de.meyer@demargro.be
www.demargro.be